Loading means for tank-cars



l A. B. WHUOLERY.

LoAmNG MEANS FOR TANK CARS.

APPLICATION fILED JUNE 16| 1919.

Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

'.VVITNESSES ATTORNEY -To aZZ fw [wm t 'may concern.'

sy rt M D ST ANDREW ia. Wiiooiinzar, or

eremita, weer vrReINIA.

nonnina miens son raux-cans.

Be it known that l, ANDREW B. WHooL-` naif a citizen of the' UnitedStates, residing at tapencer, in the county of Roaneand State of lWestVirginia, have invented a new and useful Loading Means for Tank-Cars,ot'

which the following is a specification..

l'liliis invention has reference to loading ineaiis lfior tank cars, andits'object is to rovide for the disposition of gases driven rom tlietank car while the loading proceeds'so that in the case of volatileliquids, like gaso-` lene and other petroleum products, there. 'shall beno danger of explosion or fire due. to the escape `of the driven offgases near a flame or incandescent material.

ln loading tank cars volatile vmaterial is4 present in the empty tankand must esca-pe i when liquid is placed in the tank. If such l the,vaccoini'ianying this specification,

- 'of the drawing, but may be changed en changes and modii ficationsAniark nozinate'rial Fig. 'A of the parts shown in ald. *y j volatile orgaseous material be allowed t o escape directly into the-atmospherethere is always danger of' it catchingfire and possibly an explosionoccurring because of the..

the vicinity. In ac* passage of trains in cordance with the inventionprovision is rnade for conducting the gases forced out of the tank bythe incoming liquid to some point o'f safety. Furthermore,v provision ismade for determining the depth to which the tank car is filled. 4Thefilling means is readily detachable so that when the tank car is beingtransported it may be properlcy7 sea-led against escape of either gas orliqui 4 rl`he invention will be best understoodv from a consideration`of the following detailed description takenin-connection with drawingformingpart of with the understanding7 however, that the invention'isnot confined to any. strict. conformity with the showing modified solong as such departure from the salient features of the invention as exfpressed in the appended claims.'

vertical: section Figure 1 is a longitudinal through a 'portion of thetank showing the invention applied a-nd'soine portions of the inventionin elevation. a view similar to Figfl' but show f ing a differentvarrangement of certain of the.

arts. 'v p 3 is a detail section through certain elevation in Figs. 1

Specification oi Iietters Patent. p i

,T 14 reniote vand a oiie-eightli inch p-ipe is sufficient ing an escapevalve an nected to the pipe or tliroughthe intermedi-4 through "t'ranceof tankl which may beconsidered as indica'y `i atented Mar. 22,1921.Application tiled .Tune 16, 1919. "Serial No. 304,413. i v 'I I tive ofthe tank of a railwayl tank car, and V this' tank `is shown as providedwith the usual dome 2, neither o f these parts requiring any specialdescription:

The dome 2 is provided with a head 3 as is customary, and secured tosuch head is a block 4 preferably of cylindrical forml and threaded atone end to screw through Y a ring 5 made Ytast byl rivets 6 or otherwiseto the head 3. Extending through the block l are passages or ducts 7. 8respectively.

The `duct 7 is screw-threaded at each end and opens at one end into thedome 2. At the last-named end there isscrewed into the i duct 7I one endof a pipe ""9 which may be continued to a point near the bottom of thetank 1. At the other or upper end' of the duct 7 there is screwed anipple 10 connected to a supply pipe 11' through a union coupling'12 sothat the supply pipe 11 may be 4.connected to or disconnected from thenipp le 10 `at will. The pipes 9 and 11, in -practice, are usually abouttwo inch pipes.

The duct or passage may be considered as a one inch nipple,

although not necessarily confined to such to the side leg of which thereis' connected a pipe 15 which may be of? one inch size,

y land thispipe isa'ssuined to be extended to some suitable point ofdisposition of olangerous vapors.

ing box 16. Extending through the stuffin box is a pipe 17 which inay beof one-eight -l inch size,

since itis to serve as a vent pipe Y 8 is threaded at the upperendtoreceive a short nipple 13 which` Appliedto the end of the from thenipple 13 is a stuff s llarge for the purpose. Carried by the upper endof the pipe 17 is a et-cock 18 constitutary of an elbow 19.- `The pipe17 is slidable lower end into. engagement with or close to' the bottomof the tank and in order to reinforce the lower end of the p1 e 17 astraight coupling 2O may be supplie this coupling either directly conthestufingbox 16 and the elbow 19 4.

also avoiding the accidental withdrawal of the pipe 17 from ther nipple13 through which the pipe17 extends.

For employing the pipe 17 as a gage rod 'the pressure within the tank,with the pipe,

1,7 below the" surface of the liquid in the tank, will cause liquid tobe forced out of the pet-cock 18 when the latter is opened. On raisingthe pipe 17 until4 1t begins to discharge gas instead of liquid,andmeasuring the distance from the pet-cock to the top of the packingboX, will give the depth of liquid in the tank. If it be desired to loadthe tanks full the pipe 17' need only extend a short distance, say aboutsix inches, below the top of the shell of the tank, see Fig. 2. Whenliquid, say gasolene, is obtained on opening the pet-cock, the pipe 1 7ing gland or stop 16 is measured and this f Iso gives the depth of theliquid inthe tank.

Vhen the tankv isv being transported from place to place the block 4 maybe removed and the opening through which the block exi tends is pluggedup, or the nipples' 10 and 13 may be removed and Plugs Screwed into 35theI block, the pipe 17 going with the nipple 13.

What is claimed is:-- p

41. In loading means for tank cars, a depth gage comprising a pipe ortube movable lengthwise into andl out of the tank and provided at theouter end with an escape valve,v the outward movement of the tube'beingsmiicient to elevate the lower end of the tube above the level of liquidwithin the Lthrough the tube.

tank, whereby. the level ofthe liquid within f the. tank may beascertained by the escape of liquid and of gas or vapor from the tank i2. An attachment for tankcars com rising a pipe or tube entering thetank a ove the lfull level line and movable up and down in the tank,said pipe being provided at the upper end with an escape valve which ma?be opened and closed at will and having stop means for determining theinner limit 'of movement of the Y. whereby the level of liquid inthetank may7 be ascertained by the escape of gas through the escape valvewhen opened and the inner end of the pipe is atr substantially the levelthrough open at one end into the dome of y pipe, into the tank,

the tank, nipples in the outer ends of the respective passages, one ofthe nipples hav` ing means for thc attachment of a feed pipe thereto,means Carried by the other nipple for conducting gases generated in thetank away therefrom, a packing gland carried by the said means in linewith the nipple, a tube or pipe extending through the packing gland andthrough the nipple and passage lnto the tank, and a manually operablevalve at thev outer end of the tube, whereby, as

liquid is delivered into the tank, gases may be led therefrom to a pointof disposal and the valved tube may be withdrawn from thc tank to aheight corresponding to the level of liquid in the tank to permit theescape of gas or vapor through the tube when the valve is open, wherebyto de termine the level of the liquid in the tank.

4. An attachment for tank cars comprising a block insertible into thedome of the tank and provided with passages therethrough open at one endinto the dome of the tank, nipples in the outer ends of the respectivepassages, one of the nipples having means for the attachment of a feedpipe thereto, means carried by the other nipple for conducting gasesgenerated in the tank away therefrom, a packing gland carried by thesaid means in line with the nipple,',a tube or pipe extending throughthe packing 4gland and through the nipple and passage into the tank, anda manually operable valve at the outer end of the tube, whereby, asliquid is delivered into the tank, gases may be led therefrom to a pointof disposal and the valved tube may be withdrawn from the tank to aheight, corresponding to the level of liquid in the tank, to permit theescape of gas or vapor through the tube when the -valve isl open,whereby to determine the level of the `liquid in the tank, the length ofthe tube being such as to reach substantially to the bottom of the tankwhen thetube is inserted into the tank to the lower' limit of itsmovement, thereby permitting measurement of the' depth of liquid in thetank by the distance between the valve and the packing gland when thetube is withdrawn far enough to discharge gas or vapor.

5. An attachment for the tanks of tank cars comprisinor filling meansfor the tank and an outlet. or accumulated gases within the tank toconduct them away from the car, and a gage associated with the outletmeans and manually movableinto and out of the tank, said gage comprisinga tube opening into` the tank and outside thereof provided with amanually operable valve whereby the level of liquid in the tank may beascertained on the escape of gas or vapor through the valve when theportion of the tube within the car has its open end in close relation tosaid level.

6. 'An attachment for the tanks of tank cars compri-sin filling meansforthe tank and an outlet, or accumulated gases within the tank toconduct them away from the car, and a gage associated with the outletmeans and manually movable intoand out of the tank, said gage comprisinga tube openingl into the tank and-.outside thereof provided with amanually operable valve .whereby the level of liquid in the tank,may-be" .ascere tained on the .escape ofgas or vapor through tank to anextent to cause the escape of gas or vapor from the interior of the tankwith the inner end of the tube closely adjacent tothe level of liquid inthe tank.v

7. Loading means for the tanks of tank cars Comprising a block4 or plugextending through the top of the dome of the tank to the interiorthereof and having through passages, 'one of the passages containinganipple at the outer end with .coupling means for a feed pipe and thepassage at the -inner end having a Apipe connected thereto and leadingtoward the bottom of the tank, escape means for gases accumulated in thetank comprising a nipple screwed into a passage through the block, a Tlcoupling von and leading therefrom, a packing gland vatthe end ,remotefrom the nipple, a. tube extending through the packing gland, T

'coupling and nipple to the interior of the tank, and a valve at theouter end of the tube with the gland and valve related to serve as stopmeans determining one limit of travel of the tube into the tank, wherebythe tube may be withdrawn from the tank to an extent to bring the endwithin the tank tothe level of liquid therein and permit the e5 i thenipple, a pipe connected to the T coupling escape of gas within the tankthrough the valve.

Intestimony, that I claimvthe foregoing as my own, I have hereto afixedmy signa ture.

' ANDREW B. wHooLnRY.

